Maiden name Lecky Pike. Wife of Sir Oswald Birley the artist. Friend of Winston and Clementine Churchill, and Sir Shane Lesley, Vita Sackville West helped design the gardens of her home at Charleston Manor which is a short distance from Charleston Farmhouse (the home of Vanessa Bell) to which she was a visitor. Charleston Manor is also located near to Glyndebourne which she was involved in along with Covent Garden London, she was a supporter of the arts. During WWII she had been involved in organizing the Women's Land Army, a role which she worked with Vita Sackville West.